Insecurity impedes Afghan campaign

The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan has made some regions inaccessible for candidates campaigning ahead of the country's parliamentary elections, due to take place on September 18.

Many candidates have been forced to travel with bodyguards and armoured vehicles, but despite taking these precautions some areas remain too dangerous to campaign in.

Although more than 130,000 coalition forces are reinforcing the Afghan government, the spread of instability has left a large segment of the population at risk of being either not represented at all in the poll or having their ballot subjected to fraud.